The Wreckage Left Behind by the Orange Menace
Let’s call it what it was. A rage-tweeting Oompa Loompa walked into the highest office in the land and trashed the place. Laws were ignored. Institutions bent. Corruption flourished. And worst of all? He showed just how weak and easily hijacked our system really is.
But here’s the radical idea: Maybe this is our opportunity to build something better. Stronger. Smarter. More honest. Something that can’t be dismantled by a wannabe dictator with a cult following and a spray tan.
Let’s look at what broke, why it broke, and what the hell we can do to rebuild it right.
This Government Was Designed to Fail
We tend to worship the Founding Fathers like they were flawless. They weren’t. The truth is, they based our government on a flawed Greek scholar’s belief that Rome had perfected the balance of power. That scholar died before Julius Caesar overthrew the system from within.
Sound familiar?
Like Rome, our Republic is easy to hijack:
- The two-party system wasn’t designed; it evolved. And it’s easily captured by billionaires who give money to both sides.
- Citizens United opened the floodgates to unlimited dark money.
- The Fifth Estate (the media) stopped fact-checking and started cheerleading for access and ad revenue.
- Anyone can run for office with no qualifications. Raise enough money, and you too can destabilize the world.
It’s not just broken. It was never finished.
So… What If We Built a Better One?
Let’s get radical. Let’s design a 21st-century democracy that actually works. That puts truth, fairness, and capability over money, marketing, and malice.
Here are the building blocks of a smarter, stronger, Post-Trump America:
Take the Money Out of Politics
- Overturn Citizens United vs FEC Supreme Court decision.
- Cap campaign spending. Every candidate gets the same budget to run with, adjusted annually for inflation. Then your voting decision is based on the candidate, not the money their SuperPAC spends on misleading ads.
- Ban Super PACs. Period.
- Publicly fund elections through a nonpartisan democracy fund.
Question for readers: If we removed billionaire money from elections, how would it change the people we elect?
Minimum Standards to Run for Office
Every job I ever had required presenting a resume, passing an interview, and sometimes, passing a test. And then I had a probation period. Why isn’t running for office the same?
The Right keeps saying they want a meritocracy. And yet not a single politician in government had to prove their merit. How many jobs did you get because you had a flashy smile, a great speech writer, or just a pile of money to buy your way in?
- Require candidates to pass a Constitutional Competency Test. Make it public.
- Include a psychological profile made public before the primary.
- Background check for corporate malfeasance, foreign government connections, corruption or incitement.
- Make certain every politician’s voting record is easily available online as long as they’re in office. Each politician is allowed to post the reason for their vote beneath each topic.
If you’re not stable enough to get a job at Costco, you shouldn’t have the nuclear codes.
Another way to look at this is that we require PhD students to go before a board and defend and justify their doctoral thesis before we hand them a diploma. And they are mostly researchers or scientists, not a potential Senator or Representative. Politicians just have to sell themselves to the highest bidder.
A political race shouldn’t be a popularity contest. We should really know who and what we are voting for. The smartest thing Reagan ever said was, “Trust but Verify.” Why shouldn’t that pertain to politicians?
Shouldn’t any candidate be tested in some fashion before we let them run for a position of power? Because that’s what any government position you run for is. Power over people. In other words, you and your family.
Question for readers: Should we require psychological fitness exams for presidential candidates? Why or why not?
Question for readers: Also, in a digital world, we should be able to let our politicians know how we feel about anything they are voting on. How do we make that work?
Break the Two-Party Chokehold
- Ranked choice voting.
- Equal public financing for all political candidates. No matter what party they work with.
- Any representative party with a platform is eligible to run candidates.
- Proportional representation in Congress.
- Eliminate “gerrymandering.” According to CampaignLegal.org, fighting gerrymandering will “ensure that voters can choose their leaders, instead of letting politicians pick their voters.”
- Eliminate lobbying. Special-interest groups like corporations and nonprofits should not get easy access to politicians. You should!
Right now, two corrupt monopolies rule everything. We don’t need a lesser evil. We need more choices.
Question for readers: Is there an alternative party or independent candidate you would like to see introduced into our political party system to break the two-party stalemate?
Make the Media Accountable Again
- Require publicly licensed broadcasters to carry verified fact-checks.
- No American news organization should be owned by a non-citizen.
- Penalize intentional misinformation.
- Incentivize nonprofit, independent journalism.
- Develop an organization that trains fact-checkers to hold all politicians and news organizations accountable.
- Anyone who promotes themselves as an expert should be required to present their track record of publicly made predictions so you can judge their trustworthiness.
We can’t fix democracy if half the country is being lied to on purpose.
Question for readers: How would you reform the media to protect democracy without infringing on free speech? We have laws against slander. Why don’t we have laws against lying and manipulation? And yes, we can determine when someone is lying based on facts.
Create a Government Wealth Fund
- Allow the U.S. sovereign wealth fund to invest in global markets and generate non-tax income.
- Cap the size to prevent overreach. Profits above the cap go to a Citizen Wealth Fund that pays annual dividends to all Americans. Eventually, there will be no poverty in America.
- Alaska has a citizen’s dividend based on oil revenues. So, it can be done!
If Singapore, Alaska, Australia and Norway can do it, why can’t we?
Question for readers: What would you do with an annual Citizen Dividend? Save it? Spend it? Invest it?
Use AI to Audit, Protect, and Propose Policy
- Deploy independent AI systems to:
- Scan for corruption and fraud.
- Simulate outcomes of proposed laws.
- Counteract misinformation in real time.
- These systems must be transparent, open source, and monitored by independent human councils.
AI won’t save us. But it sure can help us save ourselves.
Question for readers: Where should we start integrating AI into government first: elections, budgeting, or policy creation?
Let’s Build It Together
This isn’t just a blog post. It’s a blueprint. A provocation. A dare.
Trump exposed how fragile our democracy really is. Musk, Vance, and Project 2025 want to finish what Trump started. They want a permanent oligarchy. We want a functional democracy that evolves.
So, let’s build it. From the ground up. Smarter, safer, and stronger.
Victims whine. Patriots fight. Wolverines build the future.
Final question: Would you like a website where ideas for a better government can be presented, discussed, and debated? Where discussion groups and policy wonks could work together to build a basis for a stronger, better, safer and fairer government? If so, let me know in the comments. I would be willing to build it “if you’ll come.”
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